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Secret $1.5 million donation from Wisconsin billionaire uncovered in Scott Walker dark-money probe
yahoo news ^ | March 23, 2015 | Michael Isikoff

Posted on 03/25/2015 5:57:13 AM PDT by sickoflibs

John Menard Jr. is widely known as the richest man in Wisconsin. A tough-minded, staunchly conservative 75-year-old billionaire, he owns a highly profitable chain of hardware stores throughout the Midwest. He’s also famously publicity-shy — rarely speaking in public or giving interviews.

So a little more than three years ago, when Menard wanted to back Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — and help advance his pro-business agenda — he found the perfect way to do so without attracting any attention: He wrote more than $1.5 million in checks to a pro-Walker political advocacy group that pledged to keep its donors secret, three sources directly familiar with the transactions told Yahoo News.

Menard’s previously unreported six-figure contributions to the Wisconsin Club for Growth — a group that spent heavily to defend Walker during a bitter 2012 recall election — seem to have paid off for the businessman and his company. In the past two years, Menard’s company has been awarded up to $1.8 million in special tax credits from a state economic development corporation that Walker chairs, according to state records.

And in his five years in office, Walker’s appointees have sharply scaled back enforcement actions by the state Department of Natural Resources — a top Menard priority. The agency had repeatedly clashed with Menard and his company under previous governors over citations for violating state environmental laws and had levied a $1.7 million fine against Menard personally, as well as his company, for illegally dumping hazardous wastes.

“This, in a nutshell, is what’s wrong with the dark-money world we live in,” said Bill Allison, senior fellow at the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based based nonprofit group that tracks the influence of money in politics. “Here’s somebody who obviously has issues before the state, and he’s able to make a backdoor contribution that nobody ever sees. My sense is [political] insiders know about these contributions. It’s only the public that has no idea.” Menard did not respond to email and phone requests from Yahoo News for comment about his contributions. (His company’s spokesman, Jeff Abbott, said he was not authorized to speak for the company’s owner and could not respond, either.)


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: election; johnmenard; walker; walker2016; wi; wisconsin
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To: sickoflibs

Amazing how they find out so much about R candidates so quickly. This is legal. So what. Let’s talk about Soros.


21 posted on 03/25/2015 6:16:24 AM PDT by outinyellowdogcountry
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To: Gaffer

The liberals and the media (pretty much one in the same) will do what ever they have to do to find issues such as this article brought forth. What really upsets me is that we all know there are millions of similar issues, buried deep within the demodummies camps, which have the same type issues. Getting such news reported and available to the public is what never seems to happen. It is high time the conservatives give the demodummie liberals a taste of their own rhetoric, starting with odumbo and his ilk and working their way down the chain of corruption.


22 posted on 03/25/2015 6:18:32 AM PDT by DaveA37
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To: sickoflibs
Looks like I should start saving big money at Menard's.

As for this "probe", that's crap. I know what Menard did and what he did was perfectly legal and done by supporters of all major candidates. Those were issue ads.

23 posted on 03/25/2015 6:22:39 AM PDT by Darren McCarty (Mike Pence in 2016)
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To: Gaffer

“Wisconsin Club for Growth”.

from their site: “Club for Growth is a national network of thousands of Americans, from all walks of life, who believe that prosperity and opportunity come through economic freedom. We work to promote public policies that promote economic growth primarily through legislative involvement, issue advocacy, research, training and educational activity.”.........

Why can’t they send their money to which ever candidate of their choice?


24 posted on 03/25/2015 6:23:27 AM PDT by DaveA37
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To: sickoflibs

1 million as opposed to billions from George Soros to Democrats?


25 posted on 03/25/2015 6:27:54 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress (http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/BYTOPICS/tabid/335/Default.aspx)
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To: grania
RE:”We've been manipulated so many times by the elite. This time, we would be wise to stick with someone who has a DC voting record. “

Alternatively we would be wise to stick with someone who has a record of taking Dems on and actually beating them passing laws they hate and repealing ones that they think are critical.

A record of voting for things that never get into law and against things that do then blaming own party for the failures is not successful leadership.

26 posted on 03/25/2015 6:30:00 AM PDT by sickoflibs (King Obama : 'The debate is over. The time for talk is over. Just follow my commands you serfs""')
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To: Impy; NFHale; GOPsterinMA; BillyBoy; fieldmarshaldj

Destroy Walker ping!


27 posted on 03/25/2015 6:31:25 AM PDT by sickoflibs (King Obama : 'The debate is over. The time for talk is over. Just follow my commands you serfs""')
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To: Mr. K

Well, Walker won’t be running against Obama.


28 posted on 03/25/2015 6:32:15 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: sickoflibs
Mr. Is-sicko, I have looked at your work. It has been found wanting. Let me improve and amplify your tone:
Secret Evil $1.5 million donation/purchase from horrible Wisconsin billionaire uncovered in henious Scott Walker dark-Satanic-money probe

John Menard Jr. a pedophile, is widely known as the richest, greediest man in the world. A tough-minded and unfair man, staunchly conservative and oppressive, the 75-year-old billionaire owns a highly profitable, greedy, rapacious chain of hardware stores throughout the Midwest. He’s also given to lurking in the shadows — much like an assassin — rarely speaking in public or giving interviews.

So a little more than three years ago, when Menard wanted to back Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — and help advance the most corrupt, murderous fanatical agenda shy of the Japanese in World War Two — he found the perfect way to do so without scrutiny, oversight, or any moral basis: He wrote more than eleventy-skadillion dollars in checks to a pro-Walker political cult group that pledged to keep its donors secret, said three guys we didn't check out.

Menard’s child porn, drug addicted, insane and cannibalistic tendencies are best demonstrated in unreported six-figure contributions to the Wisconsin Club for Growth — a group that worships Satan and eats children, and spent heavily to defend Walker during a bitter 2012 recall election — seem to have paid off for the businessman and his company. In the past two years, Menard’s company has been given one zillion free dollars for absolutely nothing.

And in his five years in office, Walker’s appointees have completely stopped all enforcement actions by the state against any of the henious, evil, horrible big Republican businesses, but tripled down on kicking puppies and trampling flowers.

“This, in a nutshell, is wh dark-money Walker is so evil and horrible. What a horrid little man. He's much worsr than Hitler,” said Bill Allison, senior fellow at the Sunshine and Puppies and Cloudes Foundation, a Washington-based based nonprofit group that heroically hunts down and exorcises Republican demons.


29 posted on 03/25/2015 6:38:15 AM PDT by Lazamataz (The FCC takeover of the internet will quickly become a means to censorship of dissent.)
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To: DaveA37

Because they are conservative.

CFG has one of the best $ to Candidate ratios out there if one were to consider all the Tea Party sentiment PACs out there. A LOT of the also-rans have abysmal ratios, bordering on opportunistic personal wealth building for the corporate officers.


30 posted on 03/25/2015 6:42:22 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Lazamataz
RE :”Mr. Is-sicko, I have looked at your work. It has been found wanting. Let me improve and amplify your tone:”

LOLO, thanks, I underestimated Scott Walker's depth of evil.

Fortunately we still have Jeb.

31 posted on 03/25/2015 6:45:57 AM PDT by sickoflibs (King Obama : 'The debate is over. The time for talk is over. Just follow my commands you serfs""')
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To: sickoflibs

They can get back to me when his brother is set up with a Gold Mine in Haiti.


32 posted on 03/25/2015 6:48:31 AM PDT by KC Burke (Ceterum censeo Islam esse delendam)
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To: sickoflibs

Um... So?

How much did the teachers and public employee Unions give to Mark Dayton?


33 posted on 03/25/2015 6:50:46 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (A Psalm in napalm...)
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To: sickoflibs
The News Media Is a Cult: Amplifying Isikoff, by Laz A Mataz
34 posted on 03/25/2015 6:52:26 AM PDT by Lazamataz (The FCC takeover of the internet will quickly become a means to censorship of dissent.)
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To: sickoflibs

FWIW, Menards employs 45,000 people.

We could use a few more companies like Menards.


35 posted on 03/25/2015 6:57:32 AM PDT by biggerten (Love you, Mom.)
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To: sickoflibs

to keep its donors secret,

So much for the secret keeping.


36 posted on 03/25/2015 7:02:21 AM PDT by bikerman (2015 new motto--- slugs for thugs.)
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To: sickoflibs
Amazing that the media refuses to dig into the financing that put Obama into the candidacy for, and ultimately the position of, President. When are they going to trace the MONEY???
37 posted on 03/25/2015 7:02:49 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: Lazamataz

Thanks, it sounds like a classic wash-each-others-back deal.
Holder needs to subpena all Walker’s personal electronic equipment (especially his ‘server’) to locate evidence of the Menard-Club for Growth-Walker conspiracy.

The fact that he kept winning elections is *proof* of his guilt.


38 posted on 03/25/2015 7:03:18 AM PDT by sickoflibs (King Obama : 'The debate is over. The time for talk is over. Just follow my commands you serfs""')
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To: outinyellowdogcountry
Amazing how they find out so much about R candidates so quickly.

Right. And, if he's wrong, let him suffer the consequences. Okay....now we are waiting for investigation of the finances of Obama, Pelosi, Reid and Hillary JUST for starters. When????

39 posted on 03/25/2015 7:04:55 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: outinyellowdogcountry

Chinese money to the Clintons? No problemo!

Domestic “big business” money to Scott Walker? *Sputter* *Flail* *Convulsion*


40 posted on 03/25/2015 7:11:26 AM PDT by bolobaby
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